2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Owner's Manual

325
Safety features of your vehicle
If the shoulder belt portion slightly touch-
es the child’s neck or face, try placing the
child closer to the center of the vehicle. If
the shoulder belt still touches their face
or neck they need to be returned to a
child restraint system.Pregnant women
The use of a seat belt is recommended
for pregnant women to lessen the chance
of injury in an accident. When a seat belt
is used, the lap belt portion should be
placed as low and snugly as possible on
the hips, not across the abdomen. For
specific recommendations, consult a
physician.
Injured person
A seat belt should be used when an
injured person is being transported.
When this is necessary, you should con-
sult a physician for recommendations.
One person per belt
Two people (including children) should
never attempt to use a single seat belt.
This could increase the severity of
injuries in case of an accident.
Do not lie down
To reduce the chance of injuries in the
event of an accident and to achieve max-
imum effectiveness of the restraint sys-
tem, all passengers should be sitting up
and the front and rear seats should be in
an upright position when the car is mov-
ing. A seat belt cannot provide proper
protection if the person is lying down in
the rear seat or if the front and rear seats
are in a reclined position.
WARNING - Pregnant
women
Pregnant women must never place
the lap portion of the safety belt
over the area of the abdomen
where the unborn child is located
or above the abdomen where the
belt could seriously injure or even
cause the death of the unborn child
during an impact.
WARNING- Shoulder belts
on small children
Never allow a shoulder belt to be
in contact with a child’s neck or
face while the vehicle is in
motion.
If seat belts are not properly worn
and adjusted on children, there is
a risk of death or serious injury.

Safety features of your vehicle
26 3
Care of seat belts
Seat belt systems should never be disas-
sembled or modified. In addition, care
should be taken to assure that seat belts
and belt hardware are not damaged by
seat hinges, doors or other abuse.
Periodic inspection
All seat belts should be inspected peri-
odically for wear or damage of any kind.
Any damaged parts should be replaced
as soon as possible.
Keep belts clean and dry
Seat belts should be kept clean and dry.
If belts become dirty, they can be
cleaned by using a mild soap solution
and warm water. Bleach, dye, strong
detergents or abrasives should not be
used because they may damage and
weaken the fabric.
When to replace seat belts
Entire in-use seat belt assembly or
assemblies should be replaced if the
vehicle has been involved in an accident.
This should be done even if no damage
is visible. Additional questions concern-
ing seat belt operation should be directed
to an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
WARNING
Riding with a reclined seatback
increases your chance of serious
or fatal injuries in the event of a col-
lision or sudden stop. The protec-
tion of your restraint system (seat
belts and air bags) is greatly
reduced by reclining your seat.
Seat belts must be snug against
your hips and chest to work proper-
ly. The more the seatback is
reclined, the greater the chance
that an occupant's hips will slide
under the lap belt causing serious
internal injuries or the occupant's
neck could strike the shoulder belt.
Drivers and passengers should
always sit well back in their seats,
properly belted, and with the seat-
backs upright.
WARNING
When you return the rear seatback
to its upright position after the rear
seatback was folded down, be care-
ful not to damage the seat belt web-
bing or buckle. Be sure that the
webbing or buckle does not get
caught or pinched in the rear seat.
A seat belt with damaged webbing
or buckle will not be as strong and
could possibly fail during a colli-
sion or sudden stop, resulting in
serious injury.

327
Safety features of your vehicle
WARNING
To reduce the chance of serious or
fatal injuries:
Children of all ages are safer
when restrained in the rear seat.
A child riding in the front passen-
ger seat can be forcefully struck
by an inflating air bag resulting in
serious or fatal injuries.
Always follow the child restraint
system manufacturer’s instruc-
tions for installation and use of
the child restraint.
Always make sure the child seat
is secured properly in the car and
your child is securely restrained
in the child seat.
Never hold a child in your arms or
lap when riding in a vehicle. The
violent forces created during a
crash will tear the child from your
arms and throw the child against
the car’s interior.
Never put a seat belt over your-
self and a child. During a crash,
the belt could press deep into the
child causing serious internal
injuries.
(Continued)
CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM
Children riding in the car should sit in the
rear seat and must always be properly
restrained to minimize the risk of injury in
an accident, sudden stop or sudden
maneuver. According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seats than in the front
seat. Larger children not in a child restraint
should use one of the seat belts provided.
You should be aware of the specific
requirements in your state. Child and/or
infant safety seats must be properly
placed and installed in the rear seat. You
must use a commercially available child
restraint system that meets the require-
ments of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards (FMVSS).
Child restraint systems are designed to be
secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the
lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder belt, or
by a LATCH system (if equipped).
Children could be injured or killed in a
crash if their restraints are not properly
secured. For small children and babies, a
child seat or infant seat must be used.
Before buying a particular child restraint
system, make sure it fits your car seat and
seat belts, and fits your child. Follow all the
instructions provided by the manufacturer
when installing the child restraint system.
WARNING
A child restraint system must be
placed in the rear seat. Never
install a child or infant seat on the
front passenger's seat. Should an
accident occur and cause the
passenger-side air bag to deploy,
it could severely injure or kill an
infant or child seated in an infant
or child seat. Thus only use a
child restraint in the rear seat of
your vehicle.
A seat belt or child restraint sys-
tem can become very hot if it is
left in a closed vehicle on a sunny
day, even if the outside tempera-
ture does not feel hot. Be sure to
check the seat cover and buckles
before placing a child there.
When the child restraint system
is not in use, store it in the lug-
gage area or fasten it with a seat
belt so that it will not be thrown
forward in the case of a sudden
stop or an accident.
Children may be seriously injured
or killed by an inflating air bag.
All children, even those too large
for child restraints, must ride in
the rear seat.

Safety features of your vehicle
28 3
Using a child restraint system
For small children and babies, the use of
a child seat or infant seat is required. This
child seat or infant seat should be of
appropriate size for the child and should
be installed in accordance with the man-
ufacturer's instructions.
(Continued)
Never leave children unattended
in a vehicle – not even for a short
time. The car can heat up very
quickly, resulting in serious
injuries to children inside. Even
very young children may inadver-
tently cause the vehicle to move,
entangle themselves in the win-
dows, or lock themselves or oth-
ers inside the vehicle.
Never allow two children, or any
two persons, to use the same
seat belt.
Children often squirm and repo-
sition themselves improperly.
Never let a child ride with the
shoulder belt under their arm or
behind their back. Always proper-
ly position and secure children in
the rear seat.
Never allow a child to stand-up or
kneel on the seat or floor of a
moving vehicle. During a colli-
sion or sudden stop, the child
can be violently thrown against
the vehicle’s interior, resulting in
serious injury.
(Continued)(Continued)
Never use an infant carrier or a
child safety seat that "hooks"
over a seatback, it may not pro-
vide adequate security in an acci-
dent.
Seat belts can become very hot,
especially when the car is parked
in direct sunlight. Always check
seat belt buckles before fasten-
ing them over a child.
CRS09
OYF039056N
Forward-facing child restraint system
Rearward-facing child restraint system

329
Safety features of your vehicle
For safety reasons, we recommend that
the child restraint system be used in the
rear seats.
Since all passenger seat belts move
freely under normal conditions and only
lock under extreme or emergency condi-
tions (emergency locking mode), you
must manually change these seat belts
to the automatic locking mode to secure
a child restraint.
Placing a passenger seat belt into
the automatic locking mode
The automatic locking mode will help
prevent the normal movement of the
child in the vehicle from causing the seat
belt to loosen and compromise the child
restraint system. To secure a child
restraint system, use the following proce-
dure.
WARNING- Child seat
installation
A child can be seriously injured
or killed in a collision if the child
restraint is not properly anchored
to the vehicle and the child is not
properly restrained in the child
restraint. Before installing the
child restraint system, read the
instructions supplied by the child
restraint system manufacturer.
If the seat belt does not operate
as described in this section, have
the system checked immediately
by your authorized HYUNDAI
dealer.
Failure to observe this manual's
instructions regarding child
restraint systems and the
instructions provided with the
child restraint system could
increase the chance and/or
severity of injury in an accident.
WARNING
Never place a rear-facing child
restraint in the front passenger
seat, because of the danger that an
inflating passenger-side air bag
could impact the rear-facing child
restraint and kill the child.
E2MS103005

Safety features of your vehicle
30 3
To install a child restraint system on the
outboard or center rear seats, do the fol-
lowing:
1. Place the child restraint system in the
seat and route the lap/shoulder belt
around or through the restraint, follow-
ing the restraint manufacturer’s
instructions. Be sure the seat belt web-
bing is not twisted.
2. Fasten the lap/shoulder belt latch into
the buckle. Listen for the distinct “click”
sound.
Position the release button so that it is
easy to access in case of an emergency.
3. Pull the shoulder portion of the seat
belt all the way out. When the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is fully extend-
ed, it will shift the retractor to the “auto-
matic locking” (child restraint) mode.4. Slowly allow the shoulder portion of
the seat belt to retract and listen for an
audible “clicking” or “ratcheting” sound.
This indicates that the retractor is in
the “automatic locking” mode. If no dis-
tinct sound is heard, repeat steps 3
and 4.
OBH039102OEN036101OBH039103

331
Safety features of your vehicle
5. Remove as much slack from the belt
as possible by pushing down on the
child restraint system while feeding the
shoulder belt back into the retractor.
6. Push and pull on the child restraint
system to confirm that the seat belt is
holding it firmly in place. If it is not,
release the seat belt and repeat steps
2 through 6.
7. Double check that the retractor is in the
“Automatic locking” mode by attempt-
ing to pull more of the seat belt out of
the retractor. If you cannot, the retractor
is in the “Automatic locking” mode.
To remove the child restraint, press the
release button on the buckle and then
pull the lap/shoulder belt out of the
restraint and allow the seat belt to retract
fully.When the seat belt is allowed to
retract to its fully stowed position, the
retractor will automatically switch
from the “Automatic locking” mode to
the emergency locking mode for nor-
mal adult usage.Securing a child restraint seat with
“Tether Anchor” system
Child restraint hook holders are located
on the package tray.
OEN036104
WARNING- Automatic
locking mode
The lap/shoulder belt automatically
returns to the “emergency lock
mode” whenever the belt is allowed
to retract fully. Therefore, the pre-
ceding seven steps must be fol-
lowed each time a child restraint is
installed.
If the retractor is not in the
Automatic Locking mode, the child
restraint can move when your vehi-
cle turns or stops suddenly. A child
can be seriously injured or killed if
the child restraint is not properly
anchored to the car, including set-
ting the retractor to the Automatic
Locking mode.
OYF039023A

Safety features of your vehicle
32 3
1. Route the child restraint seat strap
over the seatback.
For vehicles with adjustable head-
rests, route the tether strap under the
headrest and between the headrest
posts, otherwise route the tether strap
over the top of the seatback.
2. Connect the tether strap hook to the
appropriate child restraint hook holder
and tighten to secure the child restraint
seat.
OYF039024N
WARNING - Child restraint
check
Check that the child restraint sys-
tem is secure by pushing and
pulling it in different directions.
Incorrectly fitted child restraints
may swing, twist, tip or separate
causing death or serious injury.
WARNING- Tether strap
Never mount more than one child
restraint to a single tether anchor
or to a single lower anchorage
point. The increased load caused
by multiple seats may cause the
tethers or lower anchorage points
to break, causing serious injury or
death.
WARNING
A child can be seriously injured or
killed in a collision if the child
restraint is not properly anchored
to the car and the child is not prop-
erly restrained in the child restraint.
Always follow the child seat manu-
facturer’s instructions for installa-
tion and use.
WARNING
- Child restraint anchorage
Child restraint anchorages are
designed to withstand only those
loads imposed by correctly fitted
child restraints. Under no circum-
stances are they to be used for
adult seat belts or harnesses or
for attaching other items or
equipment to the vehicle.
The tether strap may not work
properly if attached somewhere
other than the correct tether
anchor.